Whether you’re trying to keep that New Year’s resolution or you’re just trying to stay in shape in the offseason, finding time to go to the gym is hard. It’s even harder when you don’t know what workouts to do or how to do them. Many people would just quit on their resolution, but you don’t have to. Instead of going to the gym, try these easy workouts that you can do in your dorm room:
Squats
Squats are probably the easiest exercise to do. You just stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and squat down until your legs form a right angle at your knees, or until your thighs are parallel with the ground. For more of a challenge, you can add weight by holding something heavy in front of you, like a stack of textbooks your professor said you would need and you’ve never opened.
Mountain Climbers
This exercise is a little more difficult to perform and you will need more room. Get into a pushup position and move your right leg up to your right hand. Then move your right leg back and do the same with your left leg. Do this as fast as you can for as long as you can.
Push Ups
This exercise is often overlooked, but it’s great for core and upper arm strength. If you can’t do a regular pushup, doing a modified pushup with your knees on the ground is fine. Try moving your hands closer or farther apart to work different muscles in your shoulders.
Sit Ups
This is another common workout that’s also great for your core. Any variation of a sit up will do. Try elevating your legs to make your sit up more of a V-Up, or get a friend to hold your feet down so that you can do faster sit ups.
Wall Sits
This is less of an aerobic exercise but can still be beneficial. Just find a wall and place your back against it and pretend you’re sitting in a chair. Make sure that there is a right angle both at your knees and at your hips. This is a great way to strengthen your quads. Tip: engage your core to help you stay up.
Burpees
This full body exercise is usually used by athletes. You would start by jumping up in the air, then you go down into a plank position and you put your entire body on the ground. Then, you would get into a squat position and from there you would jump back up. To make it more difficult, instead of letting your body fall on the ground, do a pushup.
Planks
This is mainly to work your core. It’s simple enough, just get into a pushup position and hold it for as long as possible. For more alternates, try putting your forearms on the ground, or doing a side plank by putting one forearm on the ground and the other arm up in the air.
Following these simple workouts, anyone can look and feel happier and healthier for the new year.
